Comment InB4 haters? (Score 0) 658
InB4 haters tripping over themselves to attack this despite knowing nothing about it. SHIT TOO LATE
Comment Re:FTFA (Score 1) 180
You interpreted it completely wrong. She's saying that agreement addresses some very important things, but also tries to assign the same importance to overhyped bullshit.
Computer Program Reconstructs Heard Words From Brain Scans 147
sciencehabit writes "In a new study, neuroscientists connected a network of electrodes to the hearing centers of 15 patients' brains and recorded the brain activity while they listened to words like 'jazz' or 'Waldo.' They saw that each word generated its own unique pattern in the brain. So they developed two different computer programs that could reconstruct the words a patient heard just by analyzing his or her brain activity. Reconstructions from the better of the two programs were good enough that the researchers could accurately decipher the mystery word 80% to 90% percent of the time. Because there's evidence that the words we hear and the words we recall or imagine trigger similar brain processes, the study suggests scientists may one day be able to tune in to the words you're thinking."
Comment Re:Cool (Score 1) 222
WTFV. It's meant to fold while you're in it--makes it easier to get in and out.
Comment Re:I thought it was for "human beings". (Score 1) 449
Yeah, it's Launchy with better app/OS integration. It's cool, and I look forward to using it, but it's hardly a new idea.
Comment Re:Wicking (Score 1) 224
Mmm, if the glue/resin/finish is flammable, plywood could ignite in a microwave, even if regular wood wouldn't.
Woodn't. Whatever. Make your own joke.
Evangelical Scientists Debate Creation Story 1014
Hugh Pickens writes "Polls by Gallup and the Pew Research Center find that four out of 10 Americans believe humanity descend from Adam and Eve, but NPR reports that evangelical scientists are now saying publicly that they can no longer believe the Genesis account and that it is unlikely that we all descended from a single pair of humans. 'That would be against all the genomic evidence that we've assembled over the last 20 years so not likely at all,' says biologist Dennis Venema, a senior fellow at BioLogos Foundation, a Christian group that tries to reconcile faith and science. 'You would have to postulate that there's been this absolutely astronomical mutation rate that has produced all these new variants in an incredibly short period of time. Those types of mutation rates are just not possible. It would mutate us out of existence.' Venema is part of a growing cadre of Christian scholars who say they want their faith to come into the 21st century and say it's time to face facts: There was no historical Adam and Eve, no serpent, no apple, no fall that toppled man from a state of innocence."
Do Spoilers Ruin a Good Story? No, Say Researchers 238
Hugh Pickens writes "According to a recent study at the University of California San Diego, knowing how a book ends does not ruin its story and can actually enhance enjoyment. It suggests people may enjoy a good story as much as a good twist at the end, and even if they know the outcome, will enjoy the journey as much as the destination. 'It could be that once you know how it turns out, you're more comfortable processing the information and can focus on a deeper understanding of the story,' says co-author Jonathan Leavitt. Researchers gave 12 short stories to 30 participants where two versions were spoiled and a third was not. In all but one story, readers said they preferred versions which had spoiling paragraphs written into it. Even when the stories contained a plot twist or mystery, subjects preferred the spoiled versions. 'Plots are just excuses for great writing,' says social psychologist Nicholas Christenfeld. 'As a film director, your job isn't really to come to the conclusion that the butler did it. A single line would do that.'"
Google To Acquire Motorola Mobility For $12.5 Bill 578
zacharye writes "Google and Motorola Mobility have announced an agreement whereby Google will acquire Motorola for $12.5 billion. The acquisition price equates to $40 per share of Motorola stock, or a premium of 63% over Friday's closing price. The move is considered to be an effort that will better-align Google to compete with Apple's iPhone, which currently owns two-thirds of profits among the world's top-8 smartphone vendors..."
That's one way to stop royalty payments.
Popularity Trumps Privacy For Many On Facebook 99
Hugh Pickens writes "A recent study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found that adults have almost as much need for being popular on Facebook as teenagers do, and people who crave acceptance are more likely to share personal information, says Emily Christofides, lead author of the study. 'If you're someone who has your privacy settings set quite high — you don't post your birthday, you don't post what's going on in your life — you're not giving other people the opportunity to comment on those things,' says Christofides. 'You're going to find that there's less going on on your page, and you may actually feel less popular as a result.' The study also found that those with higher self-esteem are more likely to protect their personal information."
Comment Re:as the saying goes (Score 1, Troll) 412
Can't everyone be right? Maybe they're both cowards and idiots.
Comment Re:So can I get credit for paying for the game? (Score 1) 195
Actually, yes!
Your credit is delivered in the form of getting to play an awesome game for four years.
Jesus Christ, some people love to whine. Do you bitch when you buy a game at retail and the price drops a few years later?
Building a Gary Gygax Memorial 136
An anonymous reader writes "It looks like approval to build a memorial to E. Gary Gygax has been granted in Lake Geneva City, Wisconsin. The Gygax Memorial Fund is still taking donations for the memorial that may begin construction as early as later this year. I (like many on Slashdot) spent many years of my youth using Gygax inspired creations as an excuse to socialize, roll dice, and eat chips at impromptu gatherings before computers intruded on the RPG realms."
Italy Votes To Abandon Nuclear Power 848
ElementOfDestruction writes "Italy has joined Germany in halting the production of energy from atomic power generation. This differs from Germany in that the Italian decision was made by a public vote, rather than a government mandated shutdown. 57% of Italian Households voted in this public measure. While democracy should trump all, is it wise to hold majority opinion so high that it slows down progress?"
Comment Re:To class or not to class (Score 1) 99
Did you read the *other* FA? There's two of them, and the one you're quoting is a year and a half old.
